Chapter 55: Triumphant Spring Breeze

Chen Pingan subtly twisted his toes on the ground, as if still adjusting to the lightness in his legs.

He noticed that Ma Kuxuan had picked up a total of five pebbles, four held in his left hand and one in his right.

Ma Kuxuan, looking unfazed, gazed at the foreign girl with the empty sword and saber sheaths, and said with a smile, "It's settled then. This is a one-on-one duel between me and Chen Pingan. Like the stories my grandma used to tell me, in heroic epics, two generals face off on the battlefield. Whoever calls for help isn't a true hero. If you can slay the enemy general, it'll boost morale and win the battle..."

Ning Yao found Ma Kuxuan incredibly irritating. She'd never seen anyone so deserving of a beating. Even Song Jixin from Mud Bottle Alley, with his deep schemes and constant quoting of classics, at least looked like a scholar. But this short, wiry youth, with skin no fairer than Chen Pingan's and those unnaturally large eyes, just felt off. Especially with those clumsy, pretentious words, it was like an old crone slathering on a half-pound of powder on her wrinkled face, feigning coy innocence. Utterly grotesque!

Chen Pingan didn't bother with harsh words. He bent slightly, then exploded forward, charging like a galloping horse.

So fast!

Watching Chen Pingan's retreating back, which had covered a distance of over two zhang in the blink of an eye, even the worldly Ning Yao couldn't help but be impressed. It wasn't just that Chen Pingan could outrun foxes and rabbits, relative to others his age. It was that in this prison of a world, Chen Pingan had managed to hone his physique to such a degree through years of relentless effort. That was what Ning Yao admired most.

Ning Yao mused, "Could it be that the ability to endure hardship is also a kind of talent?"

The distance between the two boys halved in an instant.

Chen Pingan could even see the subtle changes in Ma Kuxuan's expression: surprise, then fear, before quickly regaining composure. Then, without hesitation, he swiftly raised his arm, that slender limb unleashing a shocking burst of power.

Chen Pingan, who had been intently watching Ma Kuxuan's right hand, abandoned his straight charge, instantly veering to the right.

Ma Kuxuan's arm actually paused momentarily. With a flick of his wrist, the target became the now-sideways Chen Pingan.

The launched pebble shot out with ferocious speed. Though not as terrifying as the Mountain-Moving Ape of Zhengyang Mountain, it was still not to be underestimated. Chen Pingan, who should have been flustered, didn't stop. He twisted his waist, turning his upper body sideways. The pebble flashed past his eyes, the breeze it created fluttering the hair on his forehead.

Ma Kuxuan lightly tossed his left hand, the remaining pebbles shifting, until one landed in his right palm.

The short youth from Apricot Blossom Lane didn't seem to believe that a second shot would finish off Chen Pingan. He didn't stay put, but instead ran to his right, simultaneously flinging the second pebble.

The straw sandal-clad boy abruptly bent over, his hands almost touching the ground. The pebble whizzed past his back, grazing Chen Pingan's thin clothes. Fortunately, it was just a graze, leaving a frightening-looking but shallow wound.

The distance between them halved again.

Although Ma Kuxuan also realized he needed to create distance, Chen Pingan's headlong charge was simply too swift, making Ma Kuxuan's hurried retreat seem like an old ox pulling a broken cart. As Chen Pingan's dark face drew nearer, the straw sandal-clad boy's resolute, bright eyes were particularly striking. In contrast, Ma Kuxuan showed a clear hesitation. Should he abandon the stone-throwing and retreat decisively? Or should he gamble everything on the third stone?

Ma Kuxuan wavered, in stark contrast to Chen Pingan's unwavering advance.

Where was the good-natured boy from Mud Bottle Alley now?

Ma Kuxuan, at this critical moment of life and death, took a step back and raised his arm again.

Clearly, Ma Kuxuan believed in the pebble in his hand.

This reclusive boy, who had never even argued with anyone, had always disliked being around people his age. More than Chen Pingan or Gu Can, he was like a solitary wildcat. He liked to grab a handful of pebbles and toss them as he walked, of course, with very little force, seeming like casual play. No one paid any attention, but when Ma Kuxuan was alone by the riverbank under the Covered Bridge, he would skip stones. Thinner pebbles could often create over a dozen ripples before shattering against the inner wall of the stone arch bridge on the opposite bank, showcasing considerable strength and dexterity.

Ma Kuxuan often squatted on the back of the green ox, using pebbles to strike fish in the water. Whether or not he hit the fish, the pebbles he threw into the water created almost no splash.

So in the ancestral home in Apricot Blossom Lane, there were often a few dead birds lying in the courtyard or on the roof, their flesh and blood a mess.

The two were only a dozen steps apart. Chen Pingan's movements in dodging Ma Kuxuan's pebbles had been agile and light, revealing nothing of his physical strength. The straw sandal-clad boy was like a light leaf. But as Chen Pingan and Ma Kuxuan were about to collide, Chen Pingan finally revealed the "heavy" side. He took three consecutive steps, fast and fierce, full of power. Each foot landing like a hammer striking a sword, each foot lifting like uprooting the base of a mountain.

Three steps, inches away.

Ma Kuxuan still didn't have time to throw the pebble. By all rights, he was doomed.

But Chen Pingan felt a sudden jolt of unease. Still, he didn't retreat. The situation was too pressing, leaving him no room for hesitation. He might as well leap forward and take the risk.

Ma Kuxuan's lips curled into a playful smile. He released his left hand, dropping the remaining pebbles. His raised right hand was already clenched into a fist, so he simply punched forward.

He had set a trap for Chen Pingan from the beginning. The so-called indecision, deliberately giving Chen Pingan the opportunity to get close, even the choice of pebbles as a means of attack, were all part of this foolish youth from Apricot Blossom Lane's meticulous plan. It was all to weaken the enemy and lure the slippery eel-like boy who could escape from the old ape, to his side. To let Chen Pingan deliver himself to his doorstep!A punch was just an arm's length away.

Chen Ping'an, a not-so-obvious left-hander, met Ma Kuxuan's right fist head-on.

At the instant of impact, almost simultaneously, both youths kicked out at each other.

Chen Ping'an and Ma Kuxuan were sent flying backwards, crashing heavily onto the muddy ground.

They were now separated by more than twenty paces. Ma Kuxuan struggled to his feet, kneeling on one knee and gasping for breath. He raised his arm and unclenched his fist. Because the pebble in his palm had not been discarded, his palm was now a shocking crimson mess, though not quite a bloody pulp.

Ma Kuxuan grinned, rubbed his stomach, and with burning eyes, shouted at Chen Ping'an, "Chen Ping'an! Dare to go again?!"

Chen Ping'an's left hand was in worse shape. From his earlier ambush on Cai Jinjian of Cloud-Glow Mountain in the alley, the shards of porcelain had inflicted a deep gash on his palm. Although he had been applying the secret herbal remedy passed down from the Yang family's shop, a hundred days were needed to heal damaged bones. No matter how resilient the youth's physique, he wasn't the sort of immortal cultivator who could revive the dead and grow flesh from bone. So, in this exchange of a punch and a kick with Ma Kuxuan, Chen Ping'an had suffered more.

Chen Ping'an's left hand, wrapped in cotton strips, was already trembling involuntarily. Blood seeped through the cotton, dripping onto the weeds at his feet.

Chen Ping'an deliberately took a deep breath, clearly feeling the stabbing pain in his abdomen. He needed to ascertain the extent of this pain and how it would affect his subsequent actions.

It was a matter of habit.

Chen Ping'an came from a poor background. Precisely because he owned so little, he was exceptionally meticulous. In contrast, wealthy scions like Song Jixin and Lu Zhengchun would never care about a few copper coins in their pockets. It was a case of focusing on the big picture and not the small details, something Chen Ping'an couldn't afford. So, Chen Ping'an had always been associated with words like reserved, lukewarm, and forbearance. The youthful vigor one would expect was scarce. As for Ma Kuxuan, who had inexplicably appeared to fight Chen Ping'an and Ning Yao to the death, he was probably an incomprehensible oddity. Ning Yao, at least, could be described as sharply assertive, but Ma Kuxuan was completely baffling.

Chen Ping'an didn't turn his head, lightly waving his hand behind his back to Ning Yao, indicating that he was alright.

Ma Kuxuan slowly stood up, grabbing a clump of weeds before rising to casually wipe away the blood from his palm.

Chen Ping'an followed suit.

Ma Kuxuan struck first, the spots where he stood turning into muddy pits.

This skinny, monkey-like youth was incredibly fast, leaping high and aiming a knee at the oncoming Chen Ping'an.

Chen Ping'an punched downwards, causing Ma Kuxuan's knee strike to falter, but the Ma Kuxuan in mid-air landed a lightning-fast punch square on Chen Ping'an's forehead. Ma Kuxuan's initially curled legs instantly straightened, heavily stomping on Chen Ping'an's chest as he reeled backwards.

Chen Ping'an was like a hammer striking the head, combined with a blow to the chest, nearly falling straight backwards.

Ma Kuxuan's body somersaulted in the air. Upon landing, he continued his ferocious charge, quickly rushing in front of the half-crouching Chen Ping'an, unleashing a kick.

Chen Ping'an crossed his arms to block in front of him, his left arm outside and his right arm inside, desperately protecting his heart and face.

Chen Ping'an was kicked flying backwards, but with his center of gravity low and his vital points guarded, there was no bloody scene.

He rolled along the ground.

Ma Kuxuan pressed his advantage, continuing to charge.

The instant Chen Ping'an stopped his rolling momentum, unconsciously, intentionally or not, he adopted a posture of kneeling on one knee and crouching for a run-up.

Ma Kuxuan's expression faltered.

The next moment, Chen Ping'an, like an arrow shot from a fully drawn bow, instantly arrived before Ma Kuxuan, his speed completely different from before.

Feigning weakness.

Chen Ping'an knew how to do it too.

Ma Kuxuan didn't even have time to throw a punch. Chen Ping'an slammed his shoulder into Ma Kuxuan's chest, sending him staggering backwards. Another wave of pain shot through his abdomen. Instinctively, he lowered his head and bent over, only to be struck on the temple of his left ear by Chen Ping'an's sweeping arm, with tremendous force. The Xinghua Lane youth, who had held all the advantages until now, was sent flying sideways through the air in a bizarre posture.

Chen Ping'an abruptly grabbed Ma Kuxuan's ankles, spun him around once, and with an angry roar, slammed the short youth, who barely weighed ninety pounds, hard into the distance!

He crashed into a statue of a seated deity that was missing half its body. It was about one and a half Zhang tall. Without intervention, Ma Kuxuan would have faced a dire outcome.

But Ma Kuxuan, without relying on external objects, personally created an "accident."

His feet landed successively on the deity's head, then instantly bent and straightened, the whole person borrowing the huge rebound force, with similar effect to Chen Ping'an's previous sneak attack, shooting towards his opponent on the ground in the distance.

But Ma Kuxuan suddenly widened his eyes in horror.

Chen Ping'an stood in place, raising an arm high. He held a short blade that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The blade's tip was pointed straight at the rapidly approaching Ma Kuxuan.

The world spoke of "courting death," and this was probably such a case.

Even though Chen Ping'an's hand holding the blade was trembling violently, it was enough to pierce through Ma Kuxuan's body with a single thrust. The only difference was whether the entry point would be his arm, his head, or his chest.

Even though Ma Kuxuan was in dire straits, he did not give up hope, and laboriously twisted his body, even if only by a fraction, to deflect his vital points away from the blade's tip.

Just then, a slender figure appeared between the two youths.

It was a middle-aged man, carrying a long sword on his back, and a tiger-shaped tally hung at his waist.

Without seeing how he did it, Ma Kuxuan reversed the situation, not only landing on his feet, but also standing straight beside the man.

Then, the sword-bearing man turned to look at the blade-wielding youth, who had taken a step back, his eyes filled with undisguised appreciation and admiration, and softly laughed, "You two fought well this time."

The corners of Chen Ping'an's mouth were stained with blood, and he took another step back.

The man dismissed it with a smile, and proposed, "I saved Ma Kuxuan, consider it as me owing you a favor. So, after I leave, I will persuade the Moving Mountain Ape of the Righteous Sun Mountain to give up pursuing the two of you, how about it?"

Ning Yao came to Chen Ping'an's side.The military strategist cultivator from True Martial Mountain gave the girl a deep look, then said to Chen Ping'an, "You have no right to haggle. Nod if you agree, and remain silent if you don't. If you feel it's unfair, if you're resentful, and if you can somehow escape from that old ape alive, then you can come find me at True Martial Mountain after you leave this town and demand the justice you think you deserve."

Chen Ping'an put away the paper-cutting knife that Ning Yao lent him, hiding it in his right sleeve, and nodded to the man from True Martial Mountain. "If I get the chance, I will."

Ma Ku Xuan was about to speak, but the man said indifferently, "The dead have even less right to make threats against the living."

Ma Ku Xuan pursed his lips tightly and fell silent.

The pair from True Martial Mountain, one large and one small, gradually walked away.

Chen Ping'an slumped onto the ground.

Ning Yao quickly crouched down, worried. "How are you? Where are you hurt the worst? Could you use that prescription from Daoist Lu?"

The teenager, bruised and battered with internal injuries, said with a bitter face, "It's nothing serious. As long as I can still feel the pain, it means I'm not too badly hurt. Right, if that old ape comes back now..."

"Let it come!"

The girl also sat down on the ground, her eyebrows dancing. "You were here earlier, and now I'm here. What's there to fear!"

Chen Ping'an swallowed the second half of his sentence that he hadn't spoken aloud.

Ning Yao suddenly smiled brightly, held up both hands, and gave the boy in straw sandals a thumbs up. "Awesome!"

Before this, the slum boy who had never thought much of himself in his life, tried his best to suppress the smile on his lips, deliberately trying to appear more nonchalant.

But in truth, everyone could see his joy.

The spring breeze teenager was very pleased with himself.